Law Students Europe Bound for Externships

April 24, 2013

Alexandra Hileman, shown here in Florence, will work in The Hague this summer.

Tiffany Greaves, U.S. State Department Extern in Paris

“Over-the-moon excited” is how Alex Hileman describes the prospect of a semester-long externship with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, a view echoed by James Butler, also bound for the ICTY, and Tiffany Greaves, heading for a Department of State summer externship in Paris. Alex and James will be working throughout the falls semester in the prosecutor’s office at the ICTY, assisting the trial attorneys with preparing examinations, proofing witnesses, researching and drafting motions and briefs, and preparing evidence for trial. Tiffany will be spending ten weeks this summer in the U.S. State Department’s American Mission in Paris. These are just three of the 16 Lewis & Clark students approved so far to extern abroad this summer.

All three students have studied abroad in the past, but for both Alex and Tiffany this isn’t quite second nature. In fact, their interest in working abroad was only recently sparked by short study abroad experiences last summer through Lewis & Clark’s partner programs in Florence and Paris.

Alex admits that the prospect of a full semester in The Hague is a little daunting. James, who is fluent in French and has worked abroad before says that the prospect of working in the ICTY prosecutor’s office both “exciting and intimidating.” Tiffany, who is planning a career in foreign policy, wants an insider’s view of the State Department. “To improve my French, spend the summer in Paris and intern with the US Department of State—the perfect opportunity for me”, she says.

All three have one piece of advice to anyone interested in international opportunities: apply! Tiffany had only to upload her resume and write a 1,000-character statement of interest; she applied in November and was accepted in December. James notes that “it’s really the paperwork after they make you an offer that’s the time killer: medical forms, the rules, etc.”

Professor John P. Grant, Co-Chair of the Global Law Program, comments, “we all know about the globalization of law and legal practice and about the difficulties in the American job market, and externships abroad really enhance a resume and open up other career opportunities. Plus, of course, spending some time in Paris or The Hague is not the worst thing that can happen to anyone.”